Monday, September 19, 2011

Quintessentially autumn, but great for an easy weeknight dinner or Sunday evening feast anytime of the year.

Ingredients:

2 eggs, beaten

2 tablespoons milk

1 ½ cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons dried parsley

1/2 cup flour

3-4 tablespoons olive oil

4 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced

4 pork chops

In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk. In a separate small bowl, mix the breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, and parsley. Heat the olive oil in a large, ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Stir in the garlic, and cook until lightly browned. Remove garlic and reserve oil for later use.

Blot the chops dry and season with salt and pepper. Dredge in flour, and then dip in egg wash. Next, place pork chop in breadcrumb mixture, cover the chop with breadcrumbs and press down firmly. Shake excess breadcrumbs off and set chops on clean plate. If you have time, refrigerate for at least 15 minutes (and up to one hour).

Fry pork chops in the reserved oil until golden brown, about 5 minutes on each side. Then place the skillet and pork chops in the preheated oven, at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) and cook for about 25 minutes, or until the chops have an internal temperature of 160 degrees F (71 degrees C). Sprinkle chops with garlic from earlier, and ENJOY!

A few years ago, my friend Brian told me after biting into a hot off-the-grill schnitzel sandwich, “Dude, you need to open a food truck!” I could never have imagined that two years later, I would find myself getting ready to debut the Chicago Schnitzel King.

It all started on an early fall morning, the air was crisp and the smell of autumn permeated the thin air. As I’ve done at every other Bears tailgate, I began prepping the schnitzel in the back of the jeep, listening to the Score while I breaded the pork cutlets. I had just been laid off from my dream job, and all I could think about was how happy I was to be cooking schnitzel at the tailgate. As I brought the schnitzel over to our grill, the crowd gathered around, anticipating the sweet smell of schnitzel browning on the burner. Maybe it was the Old Style, maybe it was the schnitzel, but after serving up the sandwiches my buddies were begging me to open a schnitzel food truck.

Fast forward two years later and I’m getting ready to debut the Chicago Schnitzel King. I can hardly believe it’s almost time to hit the streets; the thought has me giddy with excitement. Since cooking for others has always been my passion, I hope you will enjoy some of my favorite recipes as well. Most of the recipes I’ll post here are tried and true family favorites, with the original recipes dating back to my great grandparents, but others are slightly modified versions of those favorites (vegetarian-friendly, vegan- friendly, etc.), as well as some of my personal favorites. I’ll also be using the blog to post my whereabouts each week, and share any schnitzel antics that arise on the streets.

Until the truck officially debuts, follow us on Twitter (@SchnitzelKing) and Facebook (Chicago Schnitzel King) for updates on when we plan to hit the streets! And if you seriously can’t wait to get your schnitzel on and need something to wet your chops in the meantime, check out our “Italian Pork Chop” recipe that will be posted shortly.